About Al

Al Schmidt is a former senior analyst at the non-partisan U.S. Government Accountability Office (GAO) – the investigative arm of Congress. He assisted members of Congress, both Democratic and Republican, in conducting oversight of government agencies, programs, and policies – anywhere that taxpayer dollars were spent – to identify and eliminate waste, fraud, abuse, and mismanagement.

Al held a top secret security clearance and was responsible for offering ideas to improve the efficiency and effectiveness of government agencies – including in the national security arena – that resulted in improved performance, better interagency cooperation, and cost savings for taxpayers.

Prior to joining GAO, Al served as a policy analyst for the Presidential Commission on Holocaust Assets in the United States. The Commission was charged with conducting original research into the fate of assets taken from victims of the Holocaust that came into the possession of the U.S. federal government, and advising the President on policies that should be adopted to make restitution to the rightful owners of stolen property or their heirs. As the Commission’s policy analyst he played a key role in formulating and presenting recommendations to the President.

Al was first elected City Commissioner of Philadelphia in November 2011, and currently serves as Vice Chairman of the Commission. Since being elected, Al has worked to modernize election operations, improve efficiency, and bring integrity to the election process.

Al is an advocate of open data initiatives and releasing previously unavailable election data to the public. He has also produced a number of election-related reports, including investigations that have exposed vulnerabilities in the election process and voting irregularities.